330i Costs?

[250rtone]

I will be getting my first bmw when the lease on my current car expires so i thought i would research the 330i that i will be getting. I notice that one of the only complaints is the cost to maintain these cars, why can't you perform the oil changes and the like buy yourself or is it just the dealer pricing thats so expensive?Any thing i should watch for when shopping around?

[rsn48]

I'm not sure how to answer your question as most E46's are still under warranty (not all but most). I have a 2002 330xi which is still under warranty for more than a year or more (too lazy to check). So I don't know where those figures are from of high expense to maintain. So far I have paid for a new windshield wiper blade, that's it. Oh yes, I had an Ipod adapter installed but that doesn't count. Other than gas money, I haven't spent anything.

I will be sharking it however since I am putting in 92 gas I figure I might as well get the software that will take advantage of that.

These cars - the E46's - have had superlative reviews. Even if your repair bills are slightly higher (don't know why) you'll have to wipe the smile off your face after driving it.

[250rtone]

Thanks, thats the type of reply i was hoping to receive. I was on car&driver. com reading some owner reports of the cars and a common complaint was the cost of maintaining them. Must be mostly suits that can't perform simple maintenance themselves.